Windows spotlight on lock screen may cause devices to spontaneously sleep or lock

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Symptoms

On a device that's running Windows 10, you configure the Windows spotlight option for the lock screen background. You do this either manually or by enabling the following Group Policy setting:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization > Force a specific default lock screen image

In this scenario, it's possible for the device to enter a state where the screen goes blank at the configured screen timeout interval, regardless of user activity or input. Depending on your Group Policy settings, this may also cause the device to spontaneously lock at the screen timeout interval.

Note Windows spotlight is enabled by default. Administrators can replace Windows spotlight with a selected image by using the Group Policy setting that's mentioned earlier in this section.

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Cause

Because of a timing condition, the LockScreenContentServer.exe process could "leak" (fail to close) when the device is unlocked. In this situation, it will continue to send a monitor-off command to the OS at the configured screen timeout while it's running. If you are experiencing a problem like this, you can verify the root cause by checking whether any LockScreenContentServer.exe processes are still running after the device is unlocked. (To do this, start Task Manager, click More Details, click the Details tab, and then sort the Name column.)

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Resolution

The issue is fixed in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. In compliance with Windows 10 servicing guidelines, the fix will first appear in Current Branch (CB) when the Anniversary Update is released. Thereafter, it will appear in Current Branch for Business (CBB) within four to eight months.

For more information about Windows Servicing, see Windows 10 servicing overview.

Notes

There are currently no plans to port this fix to the LTSB branch.
Until the fix is available in your deployed Windows 10 branch (or if you are on LTSB), you can work around this issue by using a static image for the lock screen.

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